Your Right to Know

By Marjorie ConnellyThe New York Times • Saturday December 8, 2012 6:01 AM

Supreme Court justices tend to say they are not influenced by public opinion. But they do
sometimes take account of state-by-state trends, and the latest developments will not escape their
notice as they take up two cases related to same-sex marriage.

Support for same-sex marriage among the public has been growing, but the country remains
divided.In a Pew poll conducted in October, 49 percent of respondents said they favored allowing
gays to marry legally and 40 percent were opposed. Four years earlier, in August 2008, the numbers
were just about reversed: 39 percent in favor and 52 percent opposed.

A strong majority of younger Americans now support same-sex marriage.In a Gallup Poll conducted
last month, 73 percent of people between 18 and 29 years old said they favored it, while only 39
percent of people older than 65 did.

Respondents appear increasingly inclined to say they are personally opposed to same-sex
marriage, rather than say it should be illegal.

The New York Timesand CBS News have asked a three-part question over the years that has
seen an increase in support for gay marriage.In November 2004, 21 percent of respondents said gay
couples should be allowed to legally marry, while 32 percent favored civil unions and 44 percent
said there should be no legal recognition of gay couples’ relationships. In May, 38 percent
supported legal marriage, only 24 percent still favored civil unions and 33 percent still said
there should be no legal recognition of same-sex couples.

While about half the country supports the legalization of same-sex marriage, supporters are not
evenly distributed. Based on Pew data, a majority favor same-sex marriage in New England, in the
mid-Atlantic states and along the Pacific Coast. In the Midwest and the south Atlantic states,
opinion is closely divided, but in the central South, a majority opposes same-sex marriage.

About 2 in 3 people who attend religious services on a weekly basis oppose same-sex marriage,
according to Gallup. About 2 in 3 people who attend religious services less than monthly favor
it.

Regardless, there has been an increase in support for same-sex marriage across almost all
groups. According to Pew polls, the percentage that currently favors allowing gays to marry legally
is far higher now than it was a decade ago in every region, for instance.